Dads, eating your veggies is so very important to the healthy development of our children and, while we all know that, sometimes you don’t even feel like going through the hassle of trying to get them to eat those leafy greens. It’s sooo much easier to just order a pizza and tell yourself, “It has tomato sauce… that’s a veggie right? So, they’re getting their vegetables!” Yeah, been there. Done that. The truth though is that like many things, the key to getting children to eat vegetables is to set the example (something I was terrible at doing when my children were knee high to a turnip).
Can we get real for a moment? When I first had my children almost 16 years ago, I. HATED. VEGGIES! I can’t say that I’m a huge fan of them today, but as I’ve grown, so have my tastes. It’s odd, but about 8 years ago I suddenly began craving things I’d never previously had a taste for. I can remember one day thinking to myself, “I really want to eat a red or yellow bell pepper?” Subsequently, I wondered to myself if I was possessed and that was the voice of the veggie demon but, alas, it was me. And I had that yellow pepper shortly thereafter… and enjoyed it.
I wanted to share a little background because I’ve been invited to join a parent panel, focused on some very good things. I’m teaming up with the folks at Hidden Valley Ranch to help encourage families to get those veggies into their diets, but more importantly, to work with local chefs to raise awareness of the need for healthy foods and veggies in school lunches. You can read more about the Love Your Veggies campaign HERE.
To kick things off, I thought I’d share with you some tips on how you, DAD, can get those little ones to turn their chompers loose on some of the healthy crunchy stuff.
1. Ghandi said it best, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” That means, you have to set the example. If your wife is constantly telling the kids to eat their veggies and they see that daddy doesn’t eat them, eventually they’re going to turn to her and say, “But daddy doesn’t eat his.” And you know what happens then. So, set the example! You’ll have more peace with the Mrs. too. Trust me on this one, I know what I’m talking about.
2. Since many kids tend to see anything healthy as the enemy, and ultimately your goal is to get the enemy to infiltrate their little tummies, try camouflage! They can’t fight what they can’t see so you might try doing things like adding spinach to the meat mix for a meatloaf or to hamburgers. Juice some carrots, but add them to the juice of a very sweet apple or asian pear, or both. There are many ways you can hide the veggies and see your mission accomplished.
3. If you can’t eat ’em, dip ’em. My kids love ranch dressing! They actually prefer raw veggies to cooked ones but the only way they’ll eat them is with ranch dip. We’ve actually taken that a step further and I make a mean chicken, broccoli, pasta salad. They kill it every time and it’s so easy to make. You just get some chicken strips (if you don’t feel like cooking them, try Tyson pre-cooked chicken strips in the refrigerator section of your local supermarket), some raw broccoli, add a bit of balsamic vinagerrette, some may and a heaping helping of ranch dressing. That was one of the great things about being asked to serve on this panel was that I was already using the product… Hidden Valley Ranch dressings are a staple in my house. The Ranch Dressing travel-size cups are a great item for kids and school lunches. Definitely check out HVR’s selection HERE.
4. Did I mention already to set the example? One of the things you can do is find a dressing that works for you and helps liven up the flavor of those oh so droll veggies. Spice up the taste with an add-on the pleases your palette, like the Southwest Chipotle, Creamy Balsamic or Original Caesar (my daughter and youngest son’s favorite on salads).
Photo: flickr- kodomut
I have been compensated to participate in the Hidden Valley Ranch “Love Your Veggies” parent panel and throughout the year will be posting content pertaining to getting your family (and especially those kids) to eat their veggies. It’s for a great cause and it’s all about healthy habits but in the interest of transparency and full-disclosure, these posts will always be clearly labeled.
My wives (I’ve had two) were both quite clever in sneaking vege’s into the boy’s food. Easiest way was grinding them into pasta sauce. But, my Caesar Salad won them over on greens and now they eat some, if not all, vegetables…just like their dad!
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
ciprofloxacin 1000mg brand – keflex 125mg price order augmentin 1000mg sale
order ciprofloxacin 500mg generic – bactrim 480mg for sale order augmentin 375mg pills
flagyl 200mg pill – purchase amoxicillin order azithromycin
buy ciprofloxacin pill – erythromycin where to buy buy erythromycin 250mg pills
where to buy valtrex without a prescription – order valacyclovir pills zovirax 400mg tablet
stromectol 6mg online – cheap amoxiclav without prescription sumycin brand
buy metronidazole generic – cefaclor 500mg price zithromax 500mg cost
buy generic ampicillin online generic monodox amoxicillin uk
furosemide 100mg sale – prazosin 2mg sale buy captopril
order glucophage generic – order glycomet without prescription buy generic lincomycin
order retrovir without prescription – cheap zyloprim 100mg
clozaril order online – ramipril price pepcid online
buy generic seroquel – buy zoloft tablets buy eskalith generic
buy hydroxyzine generic – purchase hydroxyzine online cheap order endep 10mg pills
cheap clomipramine – doxepin 25mg sale doxepin 25mg uk
order generic amoxil – cephalexin 500mg oral ciprofloxacin medication
order augmentin generic – buy bactrim pills buy ciprofloxacin generic
generic cleocin – purchase vibra-tabs online cheap chloramphenicol over the counter
buy zithromax 500mg generic – zithromax price buy ciprofloxacin 500 mg online
purchase ventolin inhalator sale – order fexofenadine 180mg sale order theophylline sale
ivermectin 3 mg for humans for sale – order cefaclor 250mg without prescription buy cefaclor 250mg online
desloratadine 5mg cheap – ketotifen 1mg us cost ventolin inhalator
methylprednisolone 16 mg for sale – buy zyrtec cheap order azelastine 10 ml generic
glyburide 2.5mg canada – buy micronase online pill forxiga 10 mg
prandin over the counter – prandin 1mg uk jardiance 25mg generic
glucophage 500mg drug – precose pill cheap precose 25mg
terbinafine 250mg usa – buy diflucan 200mg for sale griseofulvin pills
buy generic semaglutide for sale – generic rybelsus 14mg DDAVP order online
purchase nizoral generic – ketoconazole 200mg over the counter itraconazole pills
lanoxin 250mg sale – purchase lanoxin online cheap brand lasix
famciclovir 500mg sale – buy famciclovir 500mg pill valcivir 1000mg pill
order microzide for sale – plendil 5mg canada order bisoprolol 10mg online
order metoprolol online cheap – lopressor for sale online nifedipine tablet
nitroglycerin cost – catapres buy online buy valsartan 80mg online cheap
crestor belief – rosuvastatin recognize caduet online fright
zocor furious – simvastatin torch lipitor serious
dapoxetine day – priligy laughter cialis with dapoxetine splendid
cenforce online muscle – tadalis online careful brand viagra pills squeak
brand cialis scarlet – alprostadil spy penisole supply
cialis soft tabs lip – valif pant viagra oral jelly online dublin
brand cialis descend – viagra soft tabs polite penisole september